Out of the box, the NOOK Simple Touch is a straightforward ebook reader, but you can extend its functionality by rooting it and unlocking the Android Market. Patrick Kanouse tells you how to install games, productivity, and thousands more apps that extend the features of your NOOK Simple Touch but also work with the E Ink touch interface.

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B&N used Google's Android operating system in your NOOK Simple Touch. Choosing Android makes business sense because it's an open-source operating system, and B&N didn't pay a small fortune to use it. However, the most exciting thing about Android for you is that it lets you easily root the NOOK Simple Touch and add new and exciting features.

The idea of rooting your NOOK Simple Touch may seem daunting or way too technical. However, I can assure you that rooting the NOOK Simple Touch to get basic Android Market apps installed is super easy[md]requiring only a bit of prep work and a few steps. This minimal effort (which can be done inside a half-hour) is well worth the benefits, for you can turn your NOOK Simple Touch into more than just an eInk reader (albeit without a microphone or camera), with access to the Android market, among other benefits.

NOTE

To complete the steps in this article, you must have at least a 2GB microSD card.

NOTE

Rooting is another term for hacking, though without the illicit connotation of hacking.

An Introduction to Rooting Your NOOK Simple Touch

B&N locked down Android on your NOOK Simple Touch to prevent you from accessing some of Android's capabilities. However, by following a process called rooting your NOOK Simple Touch, you can open up these capabilities to make your NOOK Simple Touch more powerful and useful.

NOTE

In the Android OS, root is the superuser who has access to everything in the OS. By rooting your NOOK Simple Touch, you can become the superuser on your NOOK Simple Touch.

Following are just a few of the things you can do after you root your NOOK Simple Touch:

Add music players and PDF readers

Add a browser and cruise the web

Add calculator and note-taking apps

Access the Android Market

These are just a few examples of the power unleashed by rooting your NOOK Simple Touch.

Is It Risky to Root My NOOK Simple Touch, and Does It Void My Warranty?

If you decide to root your NOOK Simple Touch using a process called softrooting, which involves installing a special software update for your NOOK Simple Touch, rooting is no more risky than installing a software update, and it's a completely reversible process.

With that said, rooting your NOOK Simple Touch is not sanctioned by B&N. Rooting is one of those things you must do at your own risk. Rooting does void your warranty.